terms

The Grid - Chalk Art Project

TORONTO (May 12, 2011) Torontonians awoke Thursday morning to a more connected city courtesy of The Grid, Toronto’s new weekly city magazine, and Rethink Canada.

Late Wednesday night, dozens of artists descended on Toronto’s streets to create a colossal cross-city art piece. The designs are created with non-permanent environmentally friendly chalk and depict The Grid’s visceral connection to the urban landscape and its populace. The effort is part of Rethink Canada’s launch campaign for The Grid, which also includes print, digital, out of home, and social media.

“The Grid connects Torontonians to their city in a very raw and honest way,” says Laas Turnbull, The Grid’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. “Our goal with the launch campaign is to demonstrate the positive energy and street level commentary that we’ll be bringing to the city.”

Chalk art in over 20 urban locations literally connects The Grid’s street boxes to each other and the surrounding environment and merchants. Tips and twitter hashtags encourage social engagement.

Print and online executions also invite audience participation by offering up hot button conversation starters in the form of twitter topics. A full-page print ad in the Toronto Star features the headline, “#WestEndWins. #EastEndWins. Discuss.”

"We wanted Toronto to feel more vibrant on the morning of the launch," said Pema Hegan, Managing Director of Rethink Toronto. "The Grid connects people to this city in interesting ways, and we felt that this art project really brought that thought to life."

Rethink was also charged with creating the branding and visual identity of The Grid, which includes logo and street box designs.